Please note: Due to the confidentiality and sensitivity of some agenda items, these ELT minutes do not represent the full content of each meeting.

The webinar “New Competencies for the 21st Century Educator” is planned for next Monday, January 28, 2019.

A day-long seminar titled “Mental Health First Aid” is scheduled for Thursday, May 30 in Augusta (8:30 am to 4:30 pm). All Extension staff who interact directly with the public are encouraged to register for this workshop. Space is limited.

Update: 4-H staff will be moving to 491 College Avenue on February 15th. Grand opening will be scheduled after the exterior work is completed in the spring/early summer.

CongratulationsCongratulations to PI Wesley Neff who has been awarded $267,937 by The Maine Children’s Trust (by way of the Maine Department for Health and Human Services) for the continued support of the Maine Families Program. Maine Families is a Home Visiting program with a focus on family strengths and uses an evidence based, internationally certified Home Visiting model (Parents as Teachers) designed to promote child and family well-being. Maine Families believes that parents are their children’s first and most important teachers.

Congratulations to PI Gary Anderson who has been awarded $8,720 by the George Walker Fund/Appleton Partners, Inc. for his “Improving Milk Quality Diagnostics on Maine Dairy Farms” project. The funding for this project will primarily support the purchase of new lab equipment. This equipment will enable the development of culture procedures for dairy farm samples which will aid in the investigations on milk quality issues.

Congratulations to PI Ryder Scott who has been awarded $10,000 by the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) for his “SCC STEMports: Community Workforce Development through Augmented Reality STEM Learning Experiences” project sub award funded by the National Science Foundation (Year 1 of 3). The funding for this project will primarily support Ryder’s participation in an advisory group for MMSA’s project and focus on the development process of STEMports in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Independent Funding ProposalThe ELT reviewed the format for submitting one-time funding proposals to the ELT. The new format will be posted on Plugged-In.

One-time Funding ProposalDeveloped December 19, 2018

The Extension Leadership Team will consider one-time funding proposals from individuals or teams in support of your work related to UMaine Extension’s mission and/or the organization, (although the preferred channel for funding new program initiatives is through program-generated revenue).

Proposals should be made for unique, one-time efforts or needs, and should not be developed as a new source of continuous funding or for institutionalizing a program. Proposals are appropriate for educational programs and needs that cannot be funded from the county budget or any other sources.

Independent proposals from a team should be developed and approved by the team. Independent proposals from individuals should be developed with the involvement of your supervisor.

Proposals should be submitted to the appropriate supervisor, who will present the request to the Extension Leadership Team and notify the proposer as to the outcome.

The following information should be provided on all proposals:

Date of submission to supervisor

Starting and ending dates

Title & description of request

Description of issue in terms of clientele, and how the need was determined.

Extension Participation in UMaine Strategic PlanCooperative Extension will be asked to provide input regarding the UMaine Strategic Plan specifically on the value statements. The ELT is exploring ways to get feedback from staff and potentially stakeholders.

Organizational Meeting November 13-14All staff are asked to hold the dates of November 13-14, 2019 for an Extension organizational meeting in Orono. Fran will be convening a planning committee.

CongratulationsCongratulations to PI Ellen Mallory who has been awarded $46,662 from USDA NESARE for the continuation of her “Strengthen Soil Security in Maine” project. This project continues to conduct soil health professional development opportunities for farmers in New England. Project learning outcomes include: economics of soil health strategies, crop rotation strategies, cover crop species traits and uses, reduced tillage strategies, equipment, and soil health for high tunnels and urban agriculture.

Congratulations to PI Richard Brzozowski who has been awarded $15,000 by the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety for his “Determining the Occupational Health & Safety Needs of Farmers 60 Years and Older” project. This research project aims to determine the age-related problems experienced by farmers who want to continue farming careers; what home-grown solution farmers have developed to remediate problems; what needs are unmet; and what type of relief assistance, interventions, and collaborations would best serve this farmer population.

Congratulations to PI Griffin Dill and Co-PI James Dwyer who have been awarded $99,571 by the State of Maine Specialty Crop Block Grant program for their “Maine Potato Integrated Pest Management 2019” project. This funding supports the ongoing work to help ensure adequate response to pest-related hazards confronting potato growers. The program will provide support through field monitoring, disease forecasting, and distribution of educational materials.

Congratulations to PI Lakesh Sharma and Co-PI Sukhwinder Bali who have been awarded $70,539 by the State of Maine Specialty Crop Block Grant program for their “Development of sulfur recommendations for potatoes and grains” project. The objective of this study is to create and provide robust Sulfur recommendations for potato and grain growers in the State of Maine. One expected outcome is the preparation of a mobile application that can be used by growers to access the required sulfur rate for their field based on maximum yield potential, soil type, and the closest weather station.

Congratulations to PI Ryder Scott who has been awarded $5,000 by the Betterment Fund for his continued participation in the “Maine West” initiative. Maine West is a partnership of local and regional organizations dedicated to addressing systemic rural challenges and enhancing community well‐being in western Maine through increased collaboration across the economic, education, health and conservation sectors. This new initiative grows directly from the successful collaboration among conservation and community organizations to advance land conservation and related development efforts across the Maine‐New Hampshire border through the Mahoosuc Initiative.

Cooperative Extension Diagnostic and Research Laboratory: The grand opening of the new Cooperative Extension Diagnostic and Research Laboratory on June 21, was a huge success with over 100 in attendance. The next day the Open House attracted more that 200 people to visit the facility. A huge thank you to everyone for your work in support of this important event.

Support Staff Conference: The recent support staff Conference was held in Augusta on June 15th. Thanks to everyone who attended and to the planning committee comprised of: Sue Baez, Donna Flint, Melissa Libby, Angela Martin and Theresa Tilton for your work in making this conference a huge success.

Professional Association Conferences Support: The ELT has revised how we support staff attending professional association conferences. Hereafter, the ELT will allocate $2,000 per association (NAE4HA, NAEFCS, NACAA) per year to attend the annual professional conference with an additional $1,500 for other requests such as the Extension Conference on Volunteerism and Master Gardener Conference. It will be up to each state association to determine how the $2,000 is allocated to faculty and staff wanting to attend the conference.

Maine Emergency Preparedness: We discussed UMaine Extension’s connection and role to Maine’s emergency preparedness system. A key coordinator of emergency preparedness in Maine is the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).

Outcome: The ELT discussed how Extension staff might become more involved and promote emergency preparedness with our client groups. We believe that we can provide information and support related to Food Safety and Sustainable Ag issues. Dick will also share a MEMA contact name with Lisa so she can share that with 4-H staff because they also do outreach education with youth. We would also encourage staff to have discussions in their staff meetings about emergency preparedness. Fran will connect with UMaine Public Safety to see if they can provide an outline that staff can use for local discussions regarding emergency and crisis preparedness at county/unit offices/properties.

Federal Export Control – There are serious federal regulations regarding the protection of classified information, intellectual property, and technology hardware when dealing with foreign nations. This issue applies to grant submissions, international travel, or other activities by faculty and staff that will engage foreign nations. If faculty and staff will be involved with international projects/travel related to a grant/contract, please consult Jared Whinery. If it is something else then please consult with is Amanda Ashe, Senior Research Compliance Officer III. Her contact information is 581-1480 amanda.l.ashe@maine.edu Please keep the administrator of your unit informed about these issues and communications. For more information regarding the Federal Export Control Regulations please refer to this link: https://umaine.edu/research-compliance/export-control/

Unrestricted Gifts received for some type of work: For many years, some faculty & professional staff have received funding that has been identified as an “unrestricted gift” but there was some type of work, often field research, expected. It is important to understand that the requirement to do specific research and/or produce reports means that the funds cannot be considered a gift, but must be defined as a grant, service, or DIC (Department of Industrial Cooperation) project. It is important for each person to know the difference prior to making commitments to a potential funder. Please contact the Operations office (Jared Whinery or Dennis Harrington) with the specifics of what you are being asked to do – they will help to clarify which UMaine policies apply.

CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to PI Richard Brzozowski who has been awarded $11,600 by Cultivating Community (sub award on their USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant) for his “Incubator Farm” project. Through AgrAbility, Richard and Cooperative Extensions AgrAbility Professional, Leilani Carlson, will help make veterans aware of the education, agricultural rehabilitation and business development opportunities available through Cultivating Community’s Incubator Farm training programs.

Congratulations to PI Lily Calderwood who has been awarded $2,500 the USDA-NIFA via the University of Vermont for her role in the “Climate Adaptation Fellowship Program”. As a part of this program, Lily is in a supporting role in the development of a climate change adaptation curriculum for fruit and vegetable growers. As a member of the Fruit and Vegetable Subgroup, she is providing her expertise on small and large-scale fruit production with the goal of making sure that the curriculum developed is in a form that specifically addresses the needs of fruit and vegetable growers.

Congratulations to PI Ronald Fournier who has been awarded $35,650 by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for the “4-H Shooting Sports YR7” project. These funds will allow the UMaine Cooperative Extension via the Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center to grow the 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor base and specifically, will allow us to target central Maine in an attempt to reach a greater population of new instructors. Funding will also support youth and adult participation through various activities at Bryant Pond, as well as many programs that will be held around the state.

Congratulations to PI Jason Bolton and Co-PI Robson Machado who have been awarded $207,873 by the State of Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) for their “On Farm Readiness Review” 3-year project. During this project, Jason, Rob, and staff will provide 60 On Farm Readiness Reviews which will help in training farmers to set specific parameters to prevent foodborne illness as it relates to the farm’s growing, harvesting and packing of produce. This project is an integral part of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Training that is currently being offered.

Congratulations to PI Rick Kersbergen and Co-PI Caragh Fitzgerald who have been awarded $53,513 by NESARE for their “Developing Corn Silage Systems to Meet the Needs of Cover Crops” project. Many of the standard practices recommended for optimum corn silage production often reduce the potential for interseeded cover crops to be successful. This project seeks to evaluate options for interseeded cover crops to be more successful in improving soil cover and quality. In addition to research trials, Rick and Caragh will conduct on-farm workshops and demonstrations along with presenting results at grower meetings and in-service training for other educators and service providers.

Congratulations to PI Jason Lilley who has been awarded $15,361 by the University of New Hampshire as a sub-award for their NESARE project titled “Expanding no-till vegetable production through the combination of high-residue cover crops and solarizing tarps”. For this project, Jason will be conducting on-farm, tarped, no-till vegetable production research at four small-scale organic vegetable farms throughout Maine. Field days will be held in both year one and two at these field sites to demonstrate the technique to other growers.

Congratulations to PI James Dill who has been awarded $65,000 by the Maine Board of Pesticide Control (Maine Department of Ag) for the “Pesticide Editor 2018-2019” project. This award provides funding for the Pesticide Safety Education Program Professional whose main focus is writing and editing the Pesticide Safety Education Program educational training manuals.

Congratulations to PI Mitchell Mason who has been awarded $500 by the National 4-H Council for the “#empoweringMEandyou 4-H Healthy Relationships for Teens” project. Led by Sara Conant (Cumberland County CEA) and Alisha Targonski (Kennebec County 4-H Professional), Maine teenagers who attended the 4-H Healthy Living Summit will bring their acquired knowledge back to design and deliver programming to other Middle and High School teens about healthy relationships with their peers, family, and others.

Gayle Zydlewski, incoming Director of Maine Sea Grant, attended as a guest at 10:30 am. The ELT members met with Gayle for a conversation about the Extension-Sea Grant partnership. We discussed ways to further our partnership and committed to communicate regularly. Reporting by Sea Grant Extension personnel was discussed. Regarding reporting, we’d like to have at least one success story per year by Extension Sea Grant personnel. We also discussed a possible partnership in applying for a new funding opportunity from NIFA on sustainable agricultural systems. Brzozowski emailed information on this opportunity to Gayle. Another potential partnership with Extension is with Native American studies department and our proposed split appointment of a faculty member focusing on food sovereignty. We also discussed possible connections with 4-H like Follow a Researcher®, camp and learning centers, STEM Ambassadors and the STEM Tool Kits. Jon Prichard will continue to engage with Gayle and the Extension Sea Grant team on a regular basis.

Updates:

4-H Foundation – The annual meeting is scheduled for May 16, 2018 on campus in the Wells Commons. National 4-H Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer, Hazel Goodwin, is planning to attend the 4-H Foundation Annual Meeting.

Diagnostic & Research Lab – The open house is planned for Friday, June 22, 2018. Invitations will be sent out this week.

The Maine Food and Agriculture Center – We are working on a new website with a searchable data base of members and expertise areas.

Refilling the Somerset CEA – The 4-H CEA in Somerset County, Kirsten Hallowell, has resigned. The ELT agreed to fill the vacant Somerset County 4-H position at .2 FTE level (8 hours/week).

Mentoring Handbook – UMaine Extension has a Faculty Mentoring Handbook adapted for our use by Louise Franck Cyr who served as our Special Project PA for faculty orientation years ago. That handbook remains available to our faculty and includes information specific to faculty evaluation processes. Fran further adapted that handbook for use by hourly and professional staff. The ELT reviewed and approved the handbook. It will soon be posted to the website and linked to our new employee orientation checklists. Fran will announce this new handbook via email.

Orientation of the Dean of Cooperative Extension – The ELT is beginning to discuss a strategy for orienting the new dean.

CONGRATULATIONSCongratulations to PI John Jemison who has been awarded $6,200 by the Maine Potato Board for his “Evaluating High Glucosinolate Mustard as an Alternative to Cholopicrin to Control Verticillium” project. This project will compare the effectiveness of verticillium wilt (VW) control with high glucosinolate mustard as opposed to using a soil fumigant, Cholorpicrin. The results of the research will be presented at the annual Maine Potato Board Conference and will assist growers in the decision-making process for controlling VW.

Future Agenda Items:Guests: On May 31st, Ryder Scott will join the ELT to provide his annual Camp and Learning Centers update at 11 AM. *This meeting will take place in Augusta.

Early September. What should the focus of the next Hall of Flags be? Do we have a date yet? The 4-H Page component is very visible and beneficial. Possible features for the next Hall of Flags include the Food Safety Modernization Act.

University of Maine Diagnostic & Research LaboratoryThe grand opening and ribbon cutting for the University of Maine Diagnostic & Research Laboratory is scheduled for 1:00 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2018. The laboratory was formerly referred to as the Plant, Animal, and Insect Laboratory (PAIL).

Work and Personal Balance WorkshopThe Work and Personal Life Balance workshop held on March 15 in Bangor went very well, with a great turnout, and lots of positive energy from the day.

HR and Job Search ProcessesFran is working with Brian Drisko from HR so that we can be as efficient and accurate as possible with our job searches.

Extension and Native American StudiesThe ELT visited with Dr. Darren Ranco, Chair of Native American Programs, Associate Professor of Anthropology, and Coordinator of Native American Research at UMaine to explore ways that Extension might collaborate with him and his programs.

Extension Graduate AssistantDan Cox is the current Grad Assistant working with Cooperative Extension to support some of our instructional design needs. Dan will finish his first-year GA position with us in May and he is interested in returning to a GA position for next year and working with us this summer. The ELT approved offering a GA position to Dan for the 2018-2019 academic year to continue to support our instructional design needs.

Supervisory changes in Washington, Hancock, and York countiesWith John Rebar’s approaching retirement, the ELT is making some changes to our county assignment of responsibilities as the next Dean of Extension will not expect to be supervising county based faculty and professional staff. As of July 1, Washington and Hancock Counties will be working with Lisa Phelps. To balance the workload, Lisa will be relinquishing working with York County and Jon Prichard will become the PA for York County.

CONGRATULATIONSCongratulations to PI Kate Yerxa and Co-PI Kathy Savoie who have been awarded $7,000 by Utah State University for their “ASA24 Field Test Pilot Study” project. The prime award is a USDA NIFA AFRI award. In this project, Kate and Kathy will train 4 UMaine EFNEP staff members to deliver the online, Automated, Self-administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment (ASA24) to a minimum of 10 program participants. This trial will help to develop study instruments and protocols for future assessment and study.

Congratulations to PI Danielle O’Neill who has been awarded $45,000 by The Betterment Fund for her “4H Camper Financial Assistance” initiative. This is a 3-year award with $15,000 available per year. This initiative provides financial assistance to campers who will be attending programs at the 4H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond. These programs offer a rich, year-round curriculum that supports larger educational goals and are closely tied to Maine’s Learning Results outcomes. The campers support will be primarily from the Oxford and Franklin County areas.

Congratulations to PI Ellen Mallory who has been awarded $8,993 by The Brewer’s Association for her “Spring Barley Varieties – Beer” project. This is the 3rd year of funding for this research. The funding will support the evaluation of 25 barley varieties in the Eastern Spring Barley Nursery (ESBN) in 2018 in nine states in the Eastern US. The goal of the research is to determine if varieties developed outside of the region may be adapted for local production.

Early September. What should the focus of the next Hall of Flags be? Do we have a date yet? The 4-H Page component is very visible and beneficial. Possible features for the next Hall of Flags include the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Lisa attended the National 4-H Program Leaders meeting in Las Vegas last week.

4-H Animal Science Committee Meeting was held on Saturday, March 3. The ELT thanks the many staff with 4-H responsibilities that attended to work with and support the 4-H volunteers who conduct animal science programming.

There is a new travel Administrative Practices Letter (APL) that applies to all employees. The amended APL will initiate consequences for those employees who travel out-of-state without prior approval. The APL further clarifies that in-state travel meals are not reimbursable, however this policy continues to be reviewed for exemptions for specific job categories. Everyone is encouraged to review the APL and ask UMS Procurement questions or raise concerns. Information on the changes and the APL were sent to all employees by Amanda Miles via email on Feb. 9.

The USDA-NIFA Annual Report of Activities and Accomplishments for FY 2017 is due by April 1, 2018. Jon and Dennis are working diligently on UMaine Extension’s report.

The National AgrAbility Conference will be occurring March 19-22 in Portland. The ELT commends Leilani Carlson for her outstanding efforts for her role in organizing the conference.

Congratulations to Dr. Frank Drummond who has been named UMaine’s Distinguished Maine Professor for 2018. The award is made by the UMaine Alumni Association and is considered the most prestigious faculty award. Frank holds a joint appointment with the School of Biology & Ecology and Cooperative Extension.

The ELT thanks Kate Yerxa for her leadership in the development and submission of the SNAP-Ed proposal that was submitted to the state in February. This grant application was the largest single proposal ever submitted in Extension’s history and represents a huge potential to bring quality education to SNAP recipients. The ELT also is very grateful for the way that our entire organization has embraced the potential of bringing SNAP-Ed back into Extension’s portfolio.

John Jemison has been nominated for the Steve Gould Award for his work with the Orono Community Garden. This award recognizes outstanding public service and has been awarded to Extension in the past with the Harvest for Hunger program.

A new director has been appointed to Maine Sea Grant. Gayle Zydlewski, Associate Professor of Marine Science at UMaine will begin her new position on July 1. Jon Prichard will lead an orientation to Extension for Gayle.

York County Administrative Specialist VacancyRebecca Gowdy is retiring on May 10th and the York County Extension office has requested approval for fill the anticipated vacancy. The ELT is very grateful for the work that Becky has done for Extension in York County and beyond. The ELT approved initiating the search for a successor to Becky.

Maine 4-H Foundation Annual MeetingThe date for this year’s Maine 4-H Foundation Annual Meeting will be on May 16th at the Wells Conference Center. The focus will be on 4-H science. This is a premier event for the 4-H Foundation and will have a different format for this year.

Revisions and Updates to Volunteer Training ModulesJennifer Lobley and Dan Cox, Graduate Assistant in Instructional Design, who is funded through Extension (Doris Ladd Fund) are updating four modules that help orient new volunteers to UMaine Cooperative Extension. Lisa shared the progress that is being made to date. The new modules will have active links to programming resources and additional information on Extension. The ELT appreciates Jen’s leadership in the creation and management of education information for volunteers, and the ELT is excited with the technical enhancements that Dan has introduced to the modules.

MOU between UMaine Cooperative Extension and the Maine 4-H FoundationThere is no formal agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) between the Maine 4-H Foundation and UMaine Cooperative Extension. John is suggesting that an agreement be developed and approved by both organizations. An agreement would protect the interests of both entities and clearly delineate the working relationship between the organizations. John will work with Lisa and Susan Jennings on an initial draft. The tentative goal is to complete the MOU by the May 16th Annual Meeting of the Maine 4-H Foundation.

Request to Support Incentives for Faculty AwardsThe Policy Advisory Committee of the faculty is seeking ELT support for incentives for awards to Cooperative Extension faculty. The PAC has three annual awards. The ELT has decided to allocate up to $1,500 in additional professional development for award to deserving faculty members by the PAC each fiscal year (October – September) The awards will be available until September 30; of the year the award is made. This allocation is contingent upon the availability of professional development funding and may not be available in difficult budget years. These additional funds will be available for the first time in FY 2019

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to PI Lakesh Sharma and Co-PIs Sukhwinder Bali and James Dwyer who have been awarded $91,432 by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Specialty Crop Block Grant program for their “Development of Advance Phosphorous Recommendations for Maine Potato Growers” 3-year project. Objectives of this study are to create robust grower specific Phosphorous recommendations utilizing multiple sites that will include varied soil textures, soil moisture, and weather conditions.

The National Agribility Conference (also known as the National Training Workshop or NTW) is scheduled to take place in Portland, Maine March 19-22. Maine Agribility will be seeking a grant renewal later this year after completing eight years of funding.

The new Administrative Practice Letter (APL) for travel will soon be released. Staff will no longer need to complete a trip request in anticipation of in-state travel. This will save many permissions and approvals. Extended day meals will continue not to be allowed. This will be made clear in the new policy. Other changes will also be announced.

The vehicle replacement policy of UMaine will require each vehicle is replaced every six years. The rationale is the vehicles will be sold at the height of their salvage value and before they begin (statistically) to cost more in maintenance.

Lisa will be meeting with the Maine Extension Homemaker Council to discuss the changes that will occur with Debbie Killam’s retirement at the end of February. Michaele Bailey will be serving as the state advisor for this group and will be working with the county groups except for Aroostook County which Lisa Fishman works with. There are approximately 600 homemakers statewide.

An additional 4-H Paper Clover Campaign will be supported this year by Joann Fabrics stores. A $1, $2 and $4 clover can be purchased with coupons (for the $4 clover only) from Joann Fabrics as an incentive. There was also a service day in the store on February 3rd that involved local 4-H clubs staffing a card making table at JoAnn Fabrics stores. The service day was successful and the cards were given to local community groups.

We recently had a very successful Hall of Flags event held February 6. President Hunter and Provost Hecker attended and appreciated the work on display. Thanks to all who participated and supported the effort!

The Follow a Researcher® program coordinated by 4-H will follow a UMaine graduate student whose research is focused on the invasive green crab in Maine. Look for news as this unfolds in the spring.

The Board of Trustees and the Chancellor toured the Diagnostic & Research Laboratory on Sunday evening, January 28. Besides a guided tour of the facility, the group had a reception and dinner featuring Maine foods. Jim Dill, Alicyn Smart, Debbie Bouchard, and Anne Lichtenwalner gave brief presentations at their respective stations. The guests were very impressed with this new facility!

The President’s search will have on-campus opportunities announced in the near future. It is advantageous for as many of our staff as possible to attend these events. Extension staff, who are on or near campus, should prioritize attending if you are able. For those off-campus please attend if you have other business but not necessarily go out of your way to attend.

Agenda Items Notes:

Members of the ELT will meet with Provost Hecker on February 9, 2018 to discuss aspects of the search for a new Extension Director.

Creating Podcasts of our educational resources may be beneficial and useful to some of our audiences (especially young adults). The new UMS Kaltura platform can support podcast development. It makes sense for us to explore podcasts simultaneous to our pursuit of the features and value of Kaltura. More information about Kaltura will be shared with staff in the near future.

Extension Education Institute – The program leaders for agriculture and natural resources in the northeast region have drafted plans for an Extension Education Institute. The Institute would be comprised of several modules focusing on building skills in extension education for all disciplines – 4-H youth, family consumer science, community development, natural resources and agriculture. The Institute would move from state to state in the region depending on the lead personnel for each module. With this information, the ELT provided feedback. Lisa offered to bring the northeast 4-H program leaders in on the conversation if needed. Questions were asked about what other training like this is available and concerns about the amount of work involved in such an effort. Dick will provide updates as they are available.

Extension Staff Awareness of Maine’s Native American Population – The ELT discussed what might be needed for staff training in this area. The group agreed that it would be valuable for staff to know more about how other Extension staff have been successful working with the Maine Native American tribes. This is one of the positive outcomes of annual civil rights meetings where staff share successes and other staff can benefit from the relationships that have been established. Fran will bring this to the Staff Development Advisory Committee.

Name Change for the Integrated Program Enhancement Team (iPET) – iPET approached the ELT about changing their name to the Extension Communications and Marketing Team. The team is comprised of Extension professionals who work with staff to deliver research-based information to Maine citizens in response to community issues and needs. The ELT is supportive of the name change and the work of the team. The team regularly assists staff with effective communication, branding and promotion, technical advice based on current trends and user data, editing, copyright issues, citations, and permission requests and liability issues, ADA compliance and analytics.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to PI Jen Lobley who has been awarded $21,600 by the National 4-H Council for her “Youth Community Leaders (YTD)” project. Food insecurity is an issue for many community members in Washington County. The youth participating in this project hope to gain a better understanding of the available resources and accessibility to food. The goal of this project is to create resources, via data collection, that will be made available in the community (digital, video, apps, etc.) that will easier for people in the community to find and access resources and raise awareness about this local food insecurity.

Congratulations to PI James Dill who has been awarded $22,700 by the eXtension Foundation for his “eXtension PSEFMP Grant” project. The eXtension Foundation has received a grant through the EPA and is providing smaller grants in the form of Pesticide Safety Education funds to Land Grant Universities. The main goal for this project is 2-fold; the first is to increase the number of certified Pesticide applicators in the State of Maine and the second is to develop an informational brochure that helps people determine who needs to be certified and licensed to apply Pesticides. This brochure will be for use mostly at Farmer’s Markets.

Please note: Due to the confidentiality and sensitivity of some agenda items, these ELT minutes do not represent the full content of each meeting.

The 2018 Agricultural Trade Show
Thank you to the many Extension staff who were involved in making this event a great success.

The Northeast Extension Directors
This group will meet June 4-6. Fran agreed to represent UMaine Extension at that meeting.

Reclassification Requests are a Partnership
One of the roles of a supervisor is to support the staff member to fulfill the duties of their job. That includes ensuring the staff member is not working below or above their job description. If the supervisor believes the needs and demands of the position are at a higher level, they should begin consulting with their supervisor or Fran before they sanction the higher-level work. This conversation will help the supervisor to know if the organization will financially and structurally support the higher-level position.

In situations where the supervisee believes they are working above their job description and level already, the supervisor should contact their Program Administrator and Fran before a request is submitted. These actions are a partnership between staff, supervisors and administration and starting the dialogue before the formal submission stage is beneficial to all. Professional and hourly staff have a right to seek a reclassification of their position (to a higher level position). Starting the dialogue before submission will not prevent a staff member from making a reclassification request and having it reviewed by UMS Human Resources.

4-H Foundation Update
Susan Jennings joined the ELT to provide a budget and fundraising update. Susan is actively raising funds to renovate the Pest Management Office to a 4-H STEM education center.

Nutrition/ Blueberry and All Organizational SupportWith the retirement of Phoebe Nyland the ELT decided to hire an Administrative Specialist CL2 to support Dave Yarborough, Kate Yerxa and the new Blueberry Specialist. The position will devote 50% of their time to provide support to the three specialists, 20% time will be devoted to the Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program and 30% will be all organizational support.

Financial Disclosure Review Committee
Extension has been invited to submit the name of a faculty member to serve on the institutional. The ELT decided to ask Jim McConnon, Extension Business and Economics Specialist if he would be willing to serve.

Closing an Office for the March 15 Event
The “Tools to Cultivate Work and Personal Life Balance” gathering will take place on March 15. The ELT would like all staff who want to attend to be able to attend. If other staff members, the normal back-up or the “on call” person are not able to cover, the office may close. Ideally this type of back up does exist for each office. In addition, if an office closes please determine if the primary phone line can be forwarded to an office that is open. If not please record a special away message and post a sign. Thank you.

Accessing Extension Forest Related Publications
A District Forest Service member would like to revise our shelved forestry resources. In a situation like this, the person should contact Tracey Ferwerda who can research our level of ownership/permissions and, if possible, provide access Extension publications.

Professional Employee 360 Degree Evaluation
The ELT discussed the different ways they have utilized the 360-degree feedback process and wanted to be sure others who supervise professional staff were aware of this process. The University of Maine Professional Staff Association (UMPSA) contract and UMS policy outlines the 360-degree evaluation process https://mycampus.maine.edu/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=356d9802-e672-4ed4-9156-71a61ba6d948&groupId=10217. The process augments the performance evaluation and provides advise to a supervisor. Generally the supervisor begins with a list of up to ten names of other staff members and collaborators whom they would like to contact to gather feedback. The supervisor asks the professional staff member if they would like to add some names to the list of those to be contacted. The feedback received is advice and provides a vantage point the supervisor may not otherwise have. The supervisor ultimately makes the decision about the performance of the individual. The ELT concluded there is no set timetable to conduct a 360-degree evaluation. It is the supervisor’s prerogative.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to PI Kristy Ouellette and Co-PI Jen Lobley who have been awarded $22,000 by the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) for the “Afterschool Coaching for Rural Educators in STEM (ACRES)” project. The ACRES project involves frontline staff in afterschool programs coming together online and in person to share their interactions with youth. Kristy and Jen will conduct ACRES professional development modules with 4-H Camp staff, Food Corps members, and 4-H Volunteers.

Congratulations to PI Keri Kaczor who has been awarded $176,099 by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for the “Maine Healthy Beaches 2018” project. The Maine Healthy Beaches (MHB) Program provides a unified coastal water quality monitoring program to ensure safe coastal swimming experiences and establishes the University of Maine in a leadership role for the protection of public health at swimming areas.

Congratulations to PI John Jemison who has been awarded $4,014 from USDA NIFA for his “Potato Breeding” project. This project is part of a large USDA NIFA Special Research Grant (PI: Gregory Porter) managed by the Maine Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station.

Congratulations to PI Ryder Scott who has been awarded $5,000 by the Betterment Fund for his continued participation in the “Maine West” initiative. Maine West is a partnership of local and regional organizations dedicated to addressing systemic rural challenges and enhancing community well‐being in western Maine through increased collaboration across the economic, education, health and conservation sectors. This new initiative grows directly from the successful collaboration among conservation and community organizations to advance land conservation and related development efforts across the Maine‐New Hampshire border through the Mahoosuc Initiative.

Congratulations to Wesley Neff who has been awarded $267,937 from the Maine Children’s Trust to provide home visits as primary service delivery to mothers, fathers, families, pregnant women, infants, and children to age 3. Home Visiting seeks to improve maternal and child health; prevent child injuries, abuse, or maltreatment; reduce emergency room visits; improve school readiness; improve family economic self-sufficiency, and improve coordination and referrals for other community resources and supports.

Congratulations to PI John Jemison who has been awarded $5,000 by the USDA for his participation in the “USDA Climate Hub – Cornell Climate Master Project”. The USDA Climate Hubs were established to develop and communicate practical, science-based information about climate change to farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and resource managers in order to facilitate adaptation to climate variability and extremes.

SNAP-Ed Proposal Meetings
PA’s have been meeting with their respective counties to discuss the SNAP-ED proposal and their role. Kate Yerxa is usually involved in these meetings. Many counties have had meetings and those in other are being scheduled.

Diagnostic & Research Lab
The new lab will go by the name “University of Maine Cooperative Extension Diagnostic & Research Laboratory.” This name has been approved by President Susan Hunter.

The Maine Food and Agriculture Center
Audrey Cross is preparing reports from the 2016-2017 projects. She is also preparing the 2018 Request for Proposals (RFP) which will be announced in late February, 2017.

Information Technology
Lisa Phelps reported that the second GIS training of Extension staff took place. Kate Beard has agreed to make online GIS accounts available. She offered a good deal on access to 8 of those accounts.

Volunteer Management System for Maine Master Gardeners Program
The HHPLT has worked for the past year in gathering information on a Volunteer Management System (VMS) produced by the University of California – Davis. After much thought, discussion, and interaction with the designers at UC-Davis, the HHPLT members have decided unanimously to subscribe to the system. The cost of the VMS involves a setup fee and a yearly subscription. The annual subscription fee is based on the number of volunteers. Cindy Eves Thomas was also involved in the discussions.

UMS Academy
UMS is preparing to launch a learning management system known as the UMS Academy. In January 2018, staff will be able to sign in to UMS Academy through the campus portal. Employees will be able to participate in training as well as to track their current certifications. UMS Academy will consolidate all required trainings. The learning management platform is housed with HooNuit https://www.hoonuit.com/home . Generic program training is also available as part of this learning management system.

MPRS Reporting
The final reporting deadline was Dec 11, 2017 and most staff have reported in the MPRS either individually or as part of a combined/aggregated entries (e.g. camps staff). While we have a handful of good Impact Statements, many of our most noteworthy programs are not represented. Jon will be working with staff to refine impact statements that represent the breadth and depth of Extension’s programming

Retirement Recognition Protocol
When university employees retire they may be eligible for a university retirement gift if they are at least 55 years old and have worked at the university for at least 10 years. It is preferable to have the supervisor facilitate the acquisition of the gift. The current HR process does not highlight this for the supervisor. Fran will ensure all supervisors do attend to this important piece of recognizing the significant contribution of a retiree.

Outstanding Volunteer Award
Nominations for an outstanding volunteer award are being solicited.

Results of the Staffing SurveyTo date, web support and videographer were the key needs identified by staff. The survey will be open until January 18, 2018.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to PI Mark Hutchinson on his award of $64,759 from the University of California: Davis for the “OREI: Multi-Regional risk analysis of farm manure use: Balancing soil health and food safety for organic fresh produce production” project. This award is the 2nd year of a 4-year Project. As part of a multi-regional team, this integrated research-extension risk-based approach will fully assess current management practices affecting the time survival of pathogens and soil health used by the organic industry related to raw manure and untreated manure.

Congratulations to PI Mark Hutton and Co-PIs Mark Hutchinson and Eric Gallandt who have been awarded $139,329 from USDA/NIFA through Cornell University to facilitate the development of organic agriculture production, breeding, and processing methods by advancing the adoption of innovative strategies to reduce tillage on organic vegetable farms. This is the final installment of the total $543,624 award.

Congratulations to PI Ryder Scott and Co-PI Danielle O’Neill who have been awarded $77,503 by the Emanuel & Pauline A. Lerner Foundation for their “Aspirations Incubator Program” project. Along with the previously awarded “Lerner Start-up funds”, this is the balance of the first year of a 6 year – $600,000 award. The Lerner Foundation’s goal is to create a comprehensive mentorship-based pilot program for middle-school and high-school students from eight school districts and 39 communities in rural parts of Maine. Bryant Pond 4-H Center has named its program “NorthStar” and will work with students in Telstar Middle and High Schools throughout the project. Programming will include outdoor leadership experiences, adventure challenge, travel and service learning and will utilize Bryant Pond’s staff and facilities to provide mentorship and learning opportunities for students.

Congratulations to PI Steven Johnson who has been awarded $12,482 from USDA ARS for year 2 of his “Controlling Black Leg Disease” project. This award focuses on Blackleg of potato and is a portion of a larger award through the Maine Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station on which Steve is the Co-PI and Jianjun Hao is the PI. This project plans to meet the following objectives: 1) Detecting new introductions and monitoring the spread of Dickeya and Pectobacterium strains in the United States by developing microbial forensic capabilities. 2) Improving and validating field and laboratory assays for rapid diagnosis of blackleg pathogens. 3) Examining the threshold level in seed potato lots and effectiveness of disease management via seed treatment, operation, and storage.

Congratulations to PI Ellen Mallory who has been awarded $45,054 from USDA NESARE for year 4 of her “Strengthen Soil Security in Maine” project. This project continues to conduct soil health professional development opportunities for farmers in New England.

Professional Staff MeetingJohn and Fran gave an update about the recent Professional’s staff meeting. The meeting was well attended, and included many new Professional employees.

Stopping the Tenure ClockFran and John attended a chair breakfast focused on mentoring junior faculty. One of the items covered was Stop the Tenure Clock. The University recognizes the value of providing flexibility during the probationary period for tenure-track/continuing contract due to childbirth, child rearing, adoption or exceptional life circumstances. To see more about family friendly policies at UMaine go to https://umaine.edu/risingtide/resources-2/sustaining-work-life-balance/ While this compilation of work life policy focuses on faculty many of the benefits/options presented (such as leaves and the Employee Assistance Program) also apply to hourly and professional staff.

Dickeya SummitThe 2017 Dickeya and Pectobacterium Summit took place on November 9th in Bangor, Maine. This international meeting was hosted by Cooperative Extension and was attended by approximately ­­­­­­­­­165. They represented 4 countries, 22 states, and 3 Canadian Provinces.

UMaine Equal Opportunity CoordinatorUMaine has a new Equal Opportunity coordinator. Fran will be connecting with the new person to provide an orientation to Cooperative Extension.

Cooperative Extension Faculty MeetingThe Faculty of UMaine Extension will be meeting on November 29th, with electronic access to the meeting available from various locations in Maine.

NEEDJohn Rebar is the Chair-elect of the Northeast Extension Directors organization.

Sea Grant – Executive DirectorJon Prichard is on the search committee for the new Director of Maine Sea Grant. Public sessions and interviews will be held during the last two weeks of November.

Planning and ReportingDeadline for all staff to complete 2017 reports is November 20th. Staff should work with their program administrators or supervisors if help is needed.

4-H Science CenterLisa and Dennis gave an update about planning for updating the current Pest Management Program facility located at 491 College Avenue in Orono to be used as the statewide 4-H Science Center sometime next year.

Maine FFA & Master Gardener CertificationMaine FFA has asked Extension about allowing their instructors/advisors across the state to use the Maine Master Gardener curriculum to train high school students and to certify the as Maine Master Gardeners once they have completed their coursework. The ELT will support the decision of the Home Hort team who will review this proposal and address it on a county-by-county basis.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to PI Jason Lilley and Co-PIs Frank Wertheim, Tori Jackson, and Cathy Kloetzli who have been awarded $47,107 by Northeast Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education (NESARE) for the “Training the Trainers: Enhancing Cooperative Extension Resources for Beginning Farmers” project. This project allows for training of Extension staff in whole farm planning, business and financial plan development, recordkeeping, marketing, and identifying other key providers. Fourteen UMaine Extension staff will then collaborate to offer training to 125 beginning farmers and 175 ono-on-one consultations.

Congratulations to PI James Dill who has been awarded $171,413 by USDA- NIFA for Year 1 (of 3) for the “Maine Integrated Pest Management CPPM-EIP” project. The overall goals associated with this project include minimization of pesticide use in Maine agriculture and communities, increased crop yield and profitability, increased awareness of complex pest issues, and increased implementation of IPM practices.

Congratulations to PI Caragh Fitzgerald and Co-PI Richard Kersbergen who have been awarded $90,743 by Northeast Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education (NESARE) for their “Professional Development in Calibrating Pesticide and Nutrient Application Equipment for Agricultural Service Providers” project. The cornerstone of this project is to give agricultural service providers hands-on practice operating and calibrating equipment for pesticide and nutrient application. Improved accuracy will prevent over-application, which can result in financial loss, adverse environmental effects, and potential crop damage

Congratulations to James Dill who has been awarded an additional $21,100 from Cornell University and USDA-NIFA for the continued support of the Northeast Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN). The NPDN acts as a resource for first detectors of suspicious samples, provides resources and training to facilitate the use of the Network’s data collection network, expands that data collection, and develops protocols for participating diagnostic laboratories to ensure the accuracy of diagnostics.

Congratulations to Maine Families Waldo County and Maine Families Knox/Lincoln/Sagadahoc Counties, on being awarded Blue Ribbon Affiliate Status by the national Parents as Teachers organization, recognizing them as exemplary programs delivering high-quality services to children and families. The review process for Blue Ribbon status is comprehensive, involving a year of self-study and two years of reporting. While the Maine Families program greatest reward is the impact our staff are having on young children and families, it is validating and an accomplishment to be recognized by the national Parents as Teachers program.

Congratulations to Kathy Savoie and Kate McCarty who in October were honored at the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) annual conference in Omaha, Nebraska. Kathy and Kate received the 1st place National and 1st place Regional Master Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Volunteer Award, and were recognized by both NEAFCS and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture for their efforts that span a decade to develop and implement UMaine Extension’s Master Food Preserver (MFP) Program. The MFP Program has trained and retained volunteers to help extend the reach of Extension to provide home food preservation education in the community. The Master FCS Volunteer Award recognizes exceptional leadership in implementation of the Master FCS Volunteer Program.